Written Answers Monday 26 April 2010

Scottish Executive

Asthma

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce an NHS Quality Improvement Scotland standard for adult patients with asthma.

Shona Robison: I understand that NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) has no plans at present to develop clinical standards for services for adults with asthma, to complement those for children and young people with asthma which it published in March 2007.

  In 2008, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) published jointly with the British Thoracic Society SIGN Guideline 101, British Guideline on the Management of Asthma, covering adult as well as paediatric treatment and care.

  Through our encouragement, each NHS board now has a respiratory managed clinical network (MCN). It is one of the core principles of all MCNs that they should use a documented evidence base, such as SIGN Guidelines. Accordingly, SIGN Guideline 101 forms part of the respiratory MCNs’ evidence base and this will inform standards of care for adults with asthma.

  The asthma guideline is updated annually, and work is presently under way on the revision of the 2009 version.

Culture

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of current restructuring in preparation for the formation of Creative Scotland, what discussions it has had with the Scottish Arts Council on the continuing concerns of small organisations regarding their funding for the forthcoming year.

Fiona Hyslop: No specific discussions have taken place. The Scottish Arts Council is continuing with "business as usual" until Creative Scotland is established, and the legislation makes it clear that Creative Scotland will honour all funding arrangements entered into by the Scottish Arts Council. We have specifically preserved the level of funding for Creative Scotland, despite the difficult financial settlement this year.

  The Joint Board of the Scottish Arts council and Scottish Screen announced on 15 December 2009 that £7.98 million would be available for organisations to apply for flexible funding of over £50,000 from 2011 to 2013. The deadline for organisations to apply was 5 March 2010.

  The Scottish Arts Council’s first open application funding round will start soon and details of the funds available will be published on 23 April 2010. Creative Scotland will honour all these commitments.

Dentistry

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the funding allocated to NHS Borders for 2010-11 will be used to provide additional NHS dentists.

Nicola Sturgeon: It is for NHS Borders to decide how best to utilise the funding allocated to meet the health care needs of their resident population, taking account of national and local priorities.

Diabetes

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that people with type 1 diabetes are aware of the impact of not taking their medication.

Shona Robison: For people with type 1 diabetes, insulin regimes are essential for good glucose control, to ensure that the risks of diabetes-related complications are minimised. People with type 1 diabetes are made fully aware of the importance of taking insulin when they are diagnosed with the condition. This is followed up through regular clinical reviews, either within general practice, or with hospital consultants where appropriate, at which individual glucose control and adherence to medication are monitored. The 2009 Scottish Diabetes Survey shows that over 87% of people with type 1 diabetes had their blood glucose control recorded in the previous 15 months, mainly as a result of the diabetes domain in the Quality Outcomes Framework of the new GMS contract.

  The importance of controlling blood glucose levels, and the medications required to help people do so, are highlighted in the booklet for patients and carers issued to accompany the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline 116 on the management of diabetes, published in March 2010. It also features strongly in the management and monitoring sections of the mydiabetesmyway website. We recognise that effective self management of this type requires access to high quality information and emotional and psychological support, and that will be reflected in the revised Scottish Diabetes Action Plan which we expect to be published in the near future.

Diabetes

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage better awareness of diabetes across Scotland.

Shona Robison: We recognise the importance of raising awareness of diabetes so that the condition can be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. Raising awareness of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes is one of the issues that will be addressed in the revised Scottish Diabetes Action Plan. We have invested in the "Keep Well" and "Well North" programmes, which offer health checks in our most deprived communities to those at highest risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Much of type 2 diabetes can be prevented through the adoption of healthier lifestyles. This is something we are committed to promoting through our Take Life On campaign which is available at http://www.takelifeon.co.uk/ .

Education

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the value of the educational services that the Institute of Physics and Lab in a Lorry provide to young students.

Michael Russell: The Institute of Physics’ Lab in a Lorry project is one of a number of initiatives that takes inspiring science activities to schools around Scotland. It plays a useful role in supporting the formal teaching of science in our secondary schools, and gives young people access to information about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (the STEM subjects). The Institute of Physics has been awarded annual funding since 2007 for Lab in a Lorry, through the Scottish Government’s Science Engagement Grants scheme. A further award of £25,000 for the project was announced through a Scottish Government news release issued on 26 April 2010. This grant, for activity in the 2010-11 financial year, will support Lab in a Lorry visiting 70 secondary schools across Scotland, including the Highlands and Islands, and science centres in Glasgow and Dundee. The project will reach an expected audience of 16,000 people.

Education

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide security of funding for the Lab in a Lorry programme.

Michael Russell: There are no plans at present to provide long-term funding for the Institute of Physics’ Lab in a Lorry initiative. However, I can confirm that Lab in a Lorry is one of the successful projects awarded £25,000 this year as part of the Scottish Government’s annual Science Engagement Grants scheme, announced on 26 April 2010.

Education

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers have received Modern Languages in the Primary School in-service training in each year (a) of the national in-service training programme between 1993 and 2001, (b) of the ring-fenced Language Fund between 2001 and 2008 and (c) since the end of ring-fenced funding, broken down by local authority.

Michael Russell: Regarding part (a) of the question, we are unable to answer this because the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  I refer the member for parts (b) and (c) to the answer to the question S3W-31088 on 4 February 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

First Minister

Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome is of the leak inquiry that the First Minister requested on 21 January 2010.

Fiona Hyslop: On 21 January the First Minister was questioned in the Scottish Parliament about an exchange of letters between the Minister for Environment and the Home Office concerning the placing of paths across the Balmoral estate. The First Minister explained that the Scottish Government had asked the Home Office to institute a leak inquiry to establish how this breach in the principle of confidentiality of communications, particularly on sensitive matters such as Royal security, had come about.

  I can now report the following:

  i. an investigation was conducted by the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Justice, with the full co-operation and assistance of Scottish Government staff, in parallel with the investigation by the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government;

  ii. the Scottish Government contribution to these investigations established conclusively that the source was not a Scottish Government civil servant, despite the allegations to this effect which were given prominence in the press at the time;

  iii. the First Minister has had constructive discussions with Sir Gus O'Donnell, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service, about how to deliver their shared objective of preventing unauthorised disclosure of inter-Governmental correspondence, and

  iv. Sir Gus O'Donnell has assured the First Minister that he views such breaches of confidentiality as unacceptable and that he has ensured that appropriate lessons have been learned.

Forestry

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hectares of woodlands have (a) received support and (b) been approved for claim in which year under (i) the Areas of even-aged plantation undergoing restructuring felling category of the Sustainable Management of Forests option and (ii) each of the four categories of Restructuring regeneration category of the Woodland Improvement Grant option under the Scotland Rural Development Programme for 2007-13.

Roseanna Cunningham: The area receiving grant payments for (i) Restructuring felling and (ii) Restructuring Regeneration is shown in table 1. The Restructuring Regeneration Area is an estimate and a breakdown by the separate categories is not available at this stage.

  The area approved for (i) restructuring felling and (ii) restructuring regeneration is shown in table 2.

  Table 1: Area Receiving Grant Support

  

Option Description
Year
Area (Hectares)


Sustainable Management of Forests – Restructuring Felling
2009
208


Restructuring regeneration
2009
137*



  Note: *Estimated area.

  Table 2: Area Approved (Hectares)

  

Option Description
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Total


Sustainable Management of Forests – Restructuring Felling
2,229
2,093
634
87
102
5,145


Restructuring with Caledonian Scots Pine
1
16
2
0
5
24


Restructuring with diverse conifers
666
822
379
28
1
1,896


Restructuring with mixed broadleaves
29
91
37
9
0
166


Restructuring with native broadleaves
141
267
124
71
111
714


Total
837
1196
542
108
117
2,800

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to meet the demand for weight loss surgery to ensure that people who have been clinically assessed for this procedure can receive it.

Shona Robison: The SIGN guideline Management of Obesity, which was published on 24 February 2010 provides evidence based recommendations for clinical practice in the management of adults and children with obesity, including the use of bariatric surgery.

  It is a matter for NHS boards to plan for and provide services to meet the assessed needs of their resident population, including access to specialist services not provided locally.

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been diagnosed with keratoconus in each of the last four years, broken down by NHS board area.

Shona Robison: The exact number of people who have been diagnosed with keratoconus in each of the last four years, broken down by NHS board area, is not available centrally.

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people under 16 have been diagnosed with keratoconus in each of the last four years, broken down by NHS board area.

Shona Robison: The exact number of people under 16 who have been diagnosed with keratoconus in each of the last four years, broken down by NHS board area, is not available centrally.

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people under 16 who have been diagnosed with keratoconus were treated with collagen crosslinking in each of the last four years, broken down by NHS board area.

Shona Robison: The exact number of people under 16 who have been diagnosed with keratoconus and were treated with collagen crosslinking in each of the last four years, broken down by NHS board area, is not available centrally.

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people who have been diagnosed with keratoconus were treated privately with collagen crosslinking in each of the last four years, broken down by NHS board area.

Shona Robison: The exact number of people who have been diagnosed with keratoconus and were treated privately with collagen crosslinking in each of the last four years, broken down by NHS board area, is not available centrally.

Higher Education

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many students at a higher education institute had their course funded by the Scottish Government in each of the last 10 years, broken down by students from (a) Scotland or (b) elsewhere in the European Union.

Michael Russell: The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) provides tuition fees for eligible full-time Scottish and EU domiciled higher education students studying in Scotland. Table 1 shows the number of students in each of the past ten academic years who attended a Scottish higher education institution (HEI) and who had their tuition fees paid by SAAS.

  Table 1: Full-time Scottish and EU Domiciled Higher Education Students Attending Scottish HEIs and Receiving Tuition Fee Support from SAAS – Academic Years 1999-2000 to 2008-09

  

Academic Year
Number of Students


Scots Domiciles
EU Domiciles
Total


1999-2000
63,260
3,040
66,300


2000-01
77,515
3,770
81,290


2001-02
78,840
3,950
82,795


2002-03
79,195
4,285
83,475


2003-04
79,760
4,720
84,475


2004-05
79,355
5,555
84,910


2005-06
79,595
6,005
85,600


2006-07
80,575
6,925
87,495


2007-08
80,580
8,115
88,690


2008-09
82,590
9,005
91,590



  Source: Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).

  Notes:

  1. Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest 5: i.e. 1, 2 round to 0, 3, 4 round to 5.

  2. Totals may not equal the sum of their constituent parts due to rounding.

  SAAS also pays tuition fees for full-time students studying higher education level courses in colleges. In academic year 2008-09 they paid tuition fees for 22,970 Scottish and EU domiciled higher education students in Scottish colleges.

  Some part-time higher education students who are on low incomes or certain benefits can have their tuition fees waived as part of the Scottish Funding Council’s Fee Waiver scheme. Table 2 shows the number of such students at Scottish HEIs in academic years 2001-02 to 2008-09. Academic year 2001-02 is the earliest for which this data is available.

  Table 2: Part-time Higher Education Students at Scottish HEIs in Receipt of a Part-Time Fee Waiver – Academic Years 2001-02 to 2008-09

  

Academic Year
Number of Students


2001-02
3,820


2002-03
4,105


2003-04
4,530


2004-05
4,565


2005-06
4,695


2006-07
4,820


2007-08
4,880


2008-09
5,845



  Source: The Scottish Funding Council.

  Notes:

  1. Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest 5: i.e. 1, 2 round to 0; 3, 4 round to 5.

  2. The Part-Time Fee Waiver is available to eligible Scottish and EU domiciled students. It has not been possible to provide a breakdown by domicile.

  The ILA (Individual Learning Account) 500 scheme, which provides a tuition fee grant of up to £500 for eligible part-time higher education students, was introduced at the start of academic year 2008-09. A total of 2,275 part-time higher education students received an ILA 500 in 2008-09. This figure includes students at both higher education institutions and colleges. ILA 500 is available to both Scottish and EU domiciled students.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average price paid per house by local authorities was for off-the-shelf purchases from private developers in 2009, broken down by local authority.

Alex Neil: The amount spent by councils on off-the-shelf housing is not held centrally.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent by each local authority in 2009 in purchasing off-the-shelf housing.

Alex Neil: The amount spent by councils on off-the-shelf housing is not held centrally.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what it anticipates will be the average price per house paid by local authorities for the purchase of properties from private developers under the national housing trust scheme.

Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30251 on 21 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

  Participating local authorities will be expected to fund 65% of the purchase price of homes in their area accepted into the national housing trust initiative.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of proposals for the new national housing trust that would allow local authorities to borrow 65% of a house purchase price from the Public Works Loan Board, what will happen to this debt when the house is sold 10 years later.

Alex Neil: Upon sale of the houses, the proceeds of the sale are first used by the site-specific Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) to pay off the loan from the local authority. This would then allow the local authority to repay any loans from the Public Works Loan Board or other sources.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what is meant by the term affordable mid-market rent in the context of the new national housing trust.

Alex Neil: Rent levels for both the national housing trust and for mid market rent homes built by housing associations using Scottish Government grant are expected to be set initially at around 80% of relevant Local Housing Allowance rate for the area.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding per house, on average, will local authorities receive for the purchase of housing from private developers under the national housing trust scheme.

Alex Neil: Local authorities will not receive funding from the Scottish Government for the purchase of housing from private developers through the national housing trust initiative. Local authorities would be expected to fund 65% of the purchase price of any homes brought into the national housing trust initiative in their area. A Scottish Government guarantee would also be provided to each participating local authority in the event that the sales proceeds were not sufficient for the SPV to repay its loans to the local authority.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive with which local authorities it is working to develop proposals for a national housing trust.

Alex Neil: The following 13 local authorities have so far confirmed their ongoing interest in the national housing trust. Other local authorities are currently looking at the proposals so may also be interested subject to further discussions.

  Aberdeen City Council

  Aberdeenshire Council

  Angus Council

  City of Edinburgh Council

  Dundee City Council

  East Dunbartonshire Council

  East Lothian Council

  East Renfrewshire Council

  Glasgow City Council

  Highland Council

  Midlothian Council

  Stirling Council

  West Lothian Council.

Housing

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what relationship there will be between the Scottish Futures Trust and the national housing trust.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) plans to provide support for the national housing trust (NHT) initiative by setting it up and providing staffing to co-ordinate the management of the initiative. The SFT, along with participating local authorities, will play a key role in overseeing the progress of the initiative as a whole.

Housing

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with local authorities with regard to the national housing trust.

Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to questions S3W-29298 on 9 December 2009, and S3W-29892 on 7 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

  In addition, the Scottish Government and Scottish Futures Trust have since been holding meetings with all local authorities who have expressed an interest in the national housing trust (NHT) initiative. 13 local authorities have so far confirmed their continuing interest in the NHT; others may also wish to become involved, subject to further discussions. A list of these interested local authorities is provided on the Scottish Government website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/nht.

Housing

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with housing associations with regard to the national housing trust.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Government has had discussions with several housing associations regarding the national housing trust (NHT) initiative. In particular, the Scottish Government and Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) held a meeting with the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and some of its members on 31 March 2010 to discuss the NHT initiative. In addition, around ten housing association representatives attended the NHT Industry Day, organised by the SFT, on 19 April 2010.

Housing

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many members of staff the national housing trust will employ.

Alex Neil: The national housing trust (NHT) will not employ any members of staff. Coordination, financial management and support for the initiative’s governance structures will be provided by the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT).

Housing

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much per annum it predicts that the national housing trust will require in operational costs.

Alex Neil: There will be an initial total central overhead cost of £1,000 per month to contribute to the central administration of the national housing trust (NHT) initiative; this figure is not expected to vary depending on the number of homes provided. The remainder of funding required for staffing of central co-ordination and financial management would be funded by the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT); the SFT Business Plan for 2010-11 is available on the SFT website at:

  http://www.scottishfuturestrust.org.uk/.

  Operational costs to fund the management and maintenance of the homes and the tenancies, insurance and service charges for the initiative would be funded separately by the site-specific Special Purpose Vehicles using rental income.

Housing

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding will be dedicated to the national housing trust for start-up costs.

Alex Neil: Total start up costs will be influenced by the take-up of the proposed national housing trust (NHT) initiative and will be met from the budget of the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT). Other central costs during the prior information notice (PIN) and procurement phases are being absorbed within SFT’s business plan and through Scottish Government staff resources.

Housing

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when the national housing trust will be established.

Alex Neil: The timescale for setting up the national housing trust (NHT) initiative will depend on the outcomes of the current prior information notice (PIN) engagement process with the private sector and ongoing discussions with interested local authorities.

Housing

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how the national housing trust will facilitate agreements between councils and developers.

Alex Neil: Developers will be invited to tender to participate in the Framework Agreements for the national housing trust (NHT) initiative through a formal procurement process. Participating local authorities will be expected to be involved in assessing tenders and, once selected developers are appointed to Framework Agreements, in taking forward call-off contract to procure homes in their area. Legal documentation for the initiative will be provided by the Scottish Futures Trust and all local authorities and developers will be expected to use the same legal documentation in order to minimise the cost and time taken to establish the site-specific Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs).

  In addition, nearly 200 interested stakeholders, including private developers and local authorities, came together at an NHT Industry Day on 19 April 2010 to discuss the NHT proposals.

Housing

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will re-house tenants after their tenancies end in properties built under the new national housing trust proposals.

Alex Neil: Some of the likely tenants for homes provided through the national housing trust (NHT) initiative are already using short assured tenancy agreements in private rented housing. The 2009 Scottish Government Review of the Private Rented Sector showed that the majority of private tenants surveyed seemed generally content with the short assured tenancy regime.

  The NHT initiative aims to offer affordable, good quality homes for rent to tenants on low to moderate incomes who would struggle to afford private renting or to buy a home, but are unlikely to be able to access social rented housing in the near future. Properties would be let on renewable short assured tenancy agreements because the scheme has been designed to last between five and 10 years in order to attract private sector investment whilst securing high value for taxpayers’ money. Prospective tenants would be made aware that the NHT initiative was not offering a permanent home, but a viable alternative to waiting potentially years for a social rented home, so they would need to be comfortable with this before signing a tenancy agreement.

  In addition, many tenants may choose to move on before homes are sold or others could potentially be given the option to buy their NHT home.

Justice

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) legal fees and (b) management time costs were incurred by the Scottish Police Services Authority in defending the unfair dismissal case brought by Fiona McBride.

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) legal fees and (b) management time costs were incurred by the Scottish Police Services Authority in appealing the decision of the employment tribunal regarding reinstatement in the unfair dismissal case brought by Fiona McBride.

Kenny MacAskill: Employment of staff is an operational matter for the Scottish Police Services Authority. The information requested is not held centrally.

Justice

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many crime scene examinations were carried out by the Scottish Police Services Authority and its predecessor bodies in each of the last five years, broken down by regional bureau.

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive in what proportion of crime scenes was an examination carried out by the Scottish Police Services Authority and its predecessor bodies in each of the last five years, broken down by regional bureau.

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive in relation to how many cases involving the Scottish Police Services Authority and its predecessor bodies was the crime scene examined for DNA evidence in each of the last five years, broken down by regional bureau.

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive in relation to how many cases involving the Scottish Police Services Authority and its predecessor bodies was the crime scene examined for fingerprint evidence in each of the last five years, broken down by regional bureau.

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive in relation to how many cases involving the Scottish Police Services Authority and its predecessor bodies was DNA but not fingerprint evidence collected in each of the last five years, broken down by regional bureau.

Kenny MacAskill: Crime scene examinations are an operational matter for the Scottish Police Services Authority and police chief constables. Information on the number of crime scenes attended and the evidence collected is not held centrally.

Justice

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been a policy decision to collect from crime scenes DNA instead of fingerprint evidence.

Kenny MacAskill: The collection of evidence at crime scenes is an operational matter for the Scottish Police Services Authority and police chief constables. Both fingerprints and DNA samples are invaluable in providing evidence linking an individual to a crime scene. Expert scene examination officers and investigating police officers take decisions on the most appropriate method of collecting evidence based on the circumstances of the individual crime scene. If both fingerprint and DNA evidence are present at a scene then both would generally be collected.

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive in relation to how many of those imprisoned for handling an offensive weapon in the last year would proposals in the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill to create a legal presumption against custodial sentences of six months or less apply.

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive in relation to how many of those imprisoned for handling an offensive weapon in the last year would proposals in the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill to create a legal presumption against custodial sentences of three months or less apply.

Kenny MacAskill: The proposals which were contained in section 17 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill sought to create a presumption against short custodial sentences of six months or less, but did not remove the right of judges to impose such a sentence if they considered there was no alternative. Given judicial discretion, only individual sentencers would be able to answer how their sentencing behaviour in relation to those charged with handling an offensive weapon might have been different had the presumption been in force.

Maternity Services

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to reduce the reported number of one in four babies that are transferred due to a lack of bed capacity at their local neonatal unit.

Shona Robison: Services should be offered locally where possible, however both the highly specialist and unpredictable nature of neonatal services means they cannot always be provided locally. It is regrettable when babies and/or pregnant women have to be transferred to another unit but we recognise that on occasion this may be appropriate or necessary.

  We have a dedicated 24 hour neonatal transport system which surpasses arrangements in the rest of the UK, with dedicated and professional staff who provide high quality care to these babies and their families.

  The Scottish Neonatal Transport Service will only transport sick infants when there is a clear clinical need, such as the need for intensive care, a cardiac condition requiring surgery or ECMO. The team will also transfer infants back to the referring unit and this accounts for 40% of the team’s annual activity.

Maternity Services

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to resource the Scottish Neonatal Transfer Service to meet the growing demand for neonatal transfers.

Shona Robison: The number of neonatal transfers were fewer in previous years due to service limitations. As both specialist services and the Scottish Ambulance Service have continued to evolve, sick and premature babies can receive the most appropriate treatment and best possible care from this excellent system.

  A review of the Scottish Neonatal Transport System has recently been completed which concluded that the service is staffed appropriately to respond to current demands, however the demands on the service will continue to be monitored.

  A wider review of specialist transport services will be undertaken to consider the future needs and demands of all specialist transport services.

Maternity Services

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure safe and appropriate in-utero transfers.

Shona Robison: We have a dedicated 24 hour neonatal transport system which surpasses arrangements in the rest of the UK, with dedicated and professional staff who provide high quality care to these vulnerable babies and their families.

  The Perinatal Collaborative Transport Study commissioned by Quality Improvement Scotland in 2008, captured information about in-utero transfers in Scotland not previously known. It provides reassurance that transfers are being managed in line with agreed pathways of care. The study can be viewed at http://www.nhshealthquality.org/nhsqis/files/CoTS%20Final%20Report.pdf.

Maternity Services

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve accommodation and transitional care facilities for parents following the Review of Neonatal Services in Scotland.

Shona Robison: Neonatal transfers only take place when it is in the best interests of mother and baby. We would expect NHS boards to ensure that both the accommodation and transitional care facilities for parents of ill babies who are a distance from home is of an appropriate standard.

  The day-to-day management of NHS property, including accommodation issues related to service needs, is devolved to NHS boards to undertake and prioritise in line with their property and asset management strategies. This would include any necessary improvements associated with the outcomes of service reviews.

  Best practice guidance available to NHS boards is published by Health Facilities Scotland (HFS). The current guidance for the provision of maternity services is the English Health Building Note HBN 09-02: Maternity care facilities, which HFS are presently looking to adapt for use in Scotland.

Maternity Services

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio is of neonatal nurses to babies.

Shona Robison: The information requested is not held centrally. However, information on staff in post showing nursing staff specialising with children and clinical nurse specialists in neonatology annually as part of the workforce census as at 30 September each year. Data for nursing and midwifery staff in post and clinical nurse specialists is available at:

  http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/5352.html.

  NHS Scotland has developed, tested and begun implementation of a neonatal nursing workload and workforce planning tool that will identify the nursing needs of this vulnerable group of babies. This tool takes in account the British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM) staffing recommendations and will capture actual nursing workload on a real-time basis. The implementation of this tool will help to develop quality measures for neonatal care, and equip boards with valuable information that will inform their planning and provision of services. Neonatal units have been collecting the data for six months and the Nursing & Midwifery Workload and Workforce Planning Programme are now analysing the data.

  We have also recently written to NHS board chief executives to seek assurances that the levels of neonatal staffing and skill mix are sufficient to ensure a high quality neonatal service to meet their local need along with clarification of the designated level of service that the unit provides.

Maternity Services

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the need for a one-to-one neonatal nurse to baby ratio in intensive care as outlined in the recent 30th birthday baby report from Bliss, Neonatal Care in Scotland.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that this vulnerable group of babies receives the highest quality of care, by the most appropriate professional, at all times. We know that admissions to neonatal units are not always predictable, that the level of care a baby requires may change at any given time, and that units have the responsibility to look after safely all of the babies in their care. Staffing and levels of care provided must be flexible to cope with this change in demand.

  In addressing this, NHS Scotland has developed, tested and begun implementation of a neonatal nursing workload and workforce planning tool that will identify the nursing needs of this vulnerable group of babies. This tool takes into account the British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM) staffing recommendations and will capture actual nursing workload on a real-time basis.

Maternity Services

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are sufficient neonatal nurses in Scotland to meet the British Association for Perinatal Medicine (BAPM) standards and, if not, how many additional nurses are required.

Shona Robison: The information requested is not held centrally. However, information on staff in post showing nursing staff specialising with children and clinical nurse specialists in neonatology is published annually as part of the workforce census as at 30 September each year. Data for nursing and midwifery staff in post and clinical nurse specialists is available at:

  http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/5352.html.

  We expect all NHS boards to ensure they have the right number of appropriately skilled and experienced nurses to meet the needs of the babies they care for.

  We have also recently written to NHS board chief executives to seek assurances that the levels of neonatal staffing and skill mix are sufficient to ensure a high-quality neonatal service to meet their local need along with clarification of the designated level of service that the unit provides.

Maternity Services

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the finding in research carried out by Bliss in 2008 that 100 additional neonatal nurses were needed in Scotland and what steps it is taking to meet this need.

Shona Robison: We expect all NHS boards to ensure they have the right number of appropriately skilled and experienced nurses to meet the needs of the babies they care for.

  A comprehensive review of neonatal services across Scotland was undertaken to identify needs and help services where necessary. A report of the review’s findings was published and can be accessed at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/04/30153006/17.

  To further increase the nursing capacity within neonatal units, the Scottish Government has funded the training of 20 advance neonatal nurse practitioners to date and has recently invested £100,000 in neonatal education. A further £160,000 has been invested for training this year.

Maternity Services

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Review of Neonatal Services in Scotland, whether it considers that there is a shortage of doctors properly trained in neonatal services and, if so, what steps it is taking to address this.

Shona Robison: Since 30 September 2008, the number of paediatric consultants has increased from 218 to 288 an increase of 70 (whole-time equivalent) 32.5%. Neonatology is a sub specialty of paediatrics and doctors working in neonatal services are trained to the standard required by the General Medical Council.

  Neonatal services are provided by a multi professional Clinical Team which includes Consultants and Clinical Nurse Specialists who provide a treatment pathway to meet the needs of the patient.

  However, the current policy of Reshaping the Medical Workforce will address the issues of staffing affecting neonatal services. The Reshaping Medical Workforce Project is our strategic policy objective of moving to a service predominantly delivered by trained doctors and reducing the reliance on doctors in training for front-line service delivery. This will ensure better health and higher quality healthcare services for patients resulting in improved patient outcomes and clinical safety.

  We have also written to NHS board chief executives to seek assurances that the levels of neonatal staffing and skill mix are sufficient to ensure a high-quality neonatal service to meet their local need.

Mental Health

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that the law does not discriminate against people with mental health problems and, with reference to section 141(8) of the Mental Health Act 1983, whether it will make representations to the UK Government to end the situation whereby an MSP might lose his or her seat as a result of being detained under mental health legislation.

Shona Robison: The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), which is reserved to Westminster, protects disabled people from discrimination in employment, access to goods, facilities and services, the buying, renting or selling of land or property, education, transport and the exercise of public functions. The (DDA) defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Enforcement of the DDA is a matter for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the courts and tribunals

  Elections for membership of the House of Commons, the European Parliament and the Scottish Parliament are matters reserved to Westminster under Schedule 5, Head B3 of the Scotland Act 1998. Accordingly the Mental Health Act 1983, section 141(8), which was amended by the Scotland Act 1998 relates to Members of the Scottish Parliament suffering from mental illness.

  In such a case the Presiding Officer will arrange for two registered medical practitioners to be appointed to report back to him/her on whether a member is suffering from a detainable mental disorder. If the report is to the effect that the member is suffering from mental disorder and authorised to be detained the Presiding Officer will arrange for the member to be visited and examined by two registered medical practitioners six months after the date of the original report. If the second report is that the member is suffering from mental disorder and authorised to be detained the Presiding Officer will lay both reports before the Scottish Parliament, whereupon the seat of the member will become vacant.

  The Scottish Government is committed to the principle of non-discrimination. The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, which is the basis of Scottish mental health law, is based around a set of principles which provide for non-discrimination, equality and diversity and respect.

Nutrition

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the Food Standards Agency’s recommended milk consumption is for children under five.

Shona Robison: FSA recommendations for milk consumption for children under five formed the basis of the Nutritional Guidance for Early Years for children aged one to five years in early education and childcare settings published in 2006.

  The Nutritional Guidance for Early Years advises that plain drinking milk should be available as an option every day. For one-year-olds, who are not still being breastfed, whole cow’s milk should be the main milk drink until the child is at least two years old. From age two, semi-skimmed milk may be introduced as long as the child is eating well and getting enough energy and nutrients from a varied diet. The guidance states that fully skimmed milk is not suitable for children under five years.

  The guidance states that where only one type of milk is available (e.g. in the nursery setting) whole milk should be provided and that flavoured milks are unsuitable because of their high sugar content.

People with Learning Disabilities

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to ensure access to lip-reading courses for people with learning difficulties and their carers.

Alex Neil: Provision of services for people with learning difficulties and learning disability is increasingly based on the principle of improving access to mainstream services. Lip-reading courses are provided by a range of different community agencies, such as health, social work, and further education. The providers of the courses are responsible for making their services accessible to their local communities and classes across Scotland are locally determined and are variable.

  Individuals with learning difficulties or learning disability may join local lip-reading classes, but maybe more likely to have one to one sessions as part of an individual support package. Lip-reading is a difficult skill for adults who lose their hearing in later life to acquire. It will be even more difficult for those with learning difficulties and for learning disabled people, especially if they do not have an established language base. Speech and language therapists will often be involved in the assessment of the communication skills of a learning disabled person and would recommend strategies to improve these which would involve their carers.

Prison Service

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-15370 and S3W-29664 by Kenny MacAskill on 15 August 2008 and 14 December 2009 respectively and in light of English prison service instructions and the latest HM Inspectorate of Prisons report on Perth Prison, whether the Scottish Prison Service has reviewed its previous decision not to use body online security scanner chairs to increase the detection of mobile phones to further control the supply of drugs into prisons.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  Further to Dr Simpson’s previous two questions on the use of Body Orifice Security Scanner (BOSS) chairs, I can confirm that - at this time - we have no intention to use this equipment in visitor waiting areas. However, the Scottish Prison Service is strongly committed to reducing the volume of drugs entering prisons and continually reviews the front-end security processes as they apply to visitors.

  BOSS chairs will continue to be used on prisoners.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much public money has been spent on the investigations into the four Scottish Criminal Record Office fingerprint officers following the Shirley McKie case.

Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is not held centrally.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of the Mackay investigation into the four Scottish Criminal Record Office fingerprint officers.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the costs of this investigation.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of James Black’s investigation into the four Scottish Criminal Record Office fingerprint officers.

Kenny MacAskill: As employer of the four fingerprint officers, Strathclyde Joint Police Board established an ad hoc investigation and disciplinary procedure in September 2001. This work was taken forward under the auspices of an Independent Scrutiny Committee and James Black was appointed as investigating officer. The Scottish Government does not hold information on the cost of that investigation.

Speech and Language Therapy

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for (a) children and (b) adults to be assessed for speech and language therapy services, broken down by NHS board area.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for (a) children and (b) adults for speech and language therapy interventions from first presentation, broken down by NHS board area.

Alex Neil: Information on waiting times for speech and language therapy is not currently collected centrally.

  The Scottish Government has funded, as part of the National Workforce and Workload Programme, a project to develop an extension to the Allied Health Professions (AHP) data set. This will allow more detailed and accurate information to be captured in relation to AHP activity and workload.

Speech and Language Therapy

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many speech and language therapists were employed in each NHS board area in each of the last five years.

Alex Neil: Information on staff in post is published annually by NHS Services Scotland Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland, as part of the workforce census as at 30 September each year. Data for speech and language therapists staff in post by NHS region and NHS board 2007-09 are available at:

  http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/servlet/FileBuffer?namedFile=Allied%20health%20professions%202009.xls&pContentDispositionType=attachment.

  Data for therapeutic staff is also available by trend and NHS board 1998-2006 at:

  http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/servlet/FileBuffer?namedFile=WFF02_HB_REG.xls&pContentDispositionType=attachment.

  The published data show an increase in speech and language therapy staff (which includes speech and language therapists and speech and language therapy assistants) from 1,107 at 30 September 2005 to 1268 at 30 September 2009 a 14.5% increase of 161 (head count).

Voluntary Organisations

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that care charities, such as Caithness Crossroads and East Sutherland Crossroads, continue to receive sufficient funding to enable them to continue to operate, in light of increasing demand for home-care respite services and the pressures on services from insufficient funding.

Shona Robison: In 2010-11 the Scottish Government is providing £42,369 to Crossroads Caring Scotland under section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. Crossroads helps develop local services throughout Scotland, providing practical support, including respite, for carers and their families.

  Under the 1968 Act, the Scottish Government funds Scotland-wide organisations, rather than locally-based ones. Crossroads Caring Scotland can support locally based Crossroads services to apply for funding from various sources.

  Following the concordat with COSLA, the Scottish Government provided extra funding of £4.19 million between 2009 and 2011 to local authorities to help them deliver by 2011 the concordat commitment to an additional 10,000 respite weeks. Highland Council’s share of these additional resources is £0.175 million. It is a matter for Highland Council to work with partners to deliver flexible, personalised short breaks provision.

  We will be publishing the Young Carers and Carers Strategy in June this year. It will include a chapter on short breaks/respite provision.